Headless Teen’s Body Fuels Ritual Killing Fears in Calabar

Fear Grips Calabar as 18-Year-Old Found Beheaded in Suspected Ritual Killing

Residents of Calabar are living in fear following the gruesome murder of an 18-year-old boy, suspected to be the victim of a ritual killing, along the swampy stretch of the Calabar River behind the Cross River Basin Authority at Ikot Effanga, Calabar Municipality.

The deceased, identified as Daniel Ekanem, a native of Ikot Offiong in Odukpani LGA and resident of Lemna community, was last seen on August 14, 2025. His decomposing, headless body was discovered five days later, on August 19, during a frantic search by his family.

Family members said Daniel had gone to harvest vegetables in the swamp before he went missing. The discovery of his mutilated corpse has since devastated the community and sparked renewed fears of ritual killings in the state.

Commercial and farming activities in the swamp areas have been grounded, as residents and farmers now fear for their safety.

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Confirming the incident, the Commissioner of Police, CP Rashid Afegbua, described the killing as “tragic” and assured the victim’s family that investigations are ongoing.

“Tactical units of the Command, including the Dragon Squad and Ikot Omin Division, have been deployed to pursue credible leads. Justice will be served,” Afegbua said.

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Meanwhile, leaders of Ikot Effanga and Ikot Enebong communities, where the body was found, have pledged full cooperation with security agencies to uncover those behind what many now fear is the latest case of ritual murder in Cross River State.